Random Thoughts and Questions on Prayer

Here's something I've been thinking about for a couple of months now.

I guess I will go ahead and get it off of my chest.  I've had a few discussions on the topic but feel a bit as though I've struggled to express myself in a way that is easily understood.

• Maybe I don't know how to put what I'm thinking into words.  
• Maybe I use too many words and make something confusing that is not confusing at all. 
• Maybe I am confused about something that is so simple to everyone else. 
• Maybe I just have questions that are beyond understanding. 

See, here I am, I don't even know how to put the questions I've been pondering into words without sounding like I'm going against some of the things I've always thought I believed.  

So maybe I'll just go back to the beginning.  Several months ago I started thinking, why is it that when someone is sick, or has a sick child, or goes missing, or some such big event in their life that it gets splashed all over Facebook or other forms of social media begging the world to pray.   It then gets "liked" and "shared" and "liked" and "shared" and "shared" some more.  Very quickly there are hundreds and thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of people who are in the know of the child with leukemia. Most of these people not only don't know the child, they have no knowledge of the parents or even the distant relatives of the child. When there is no relational connection and the child being sick really does not affect their own personal life at all. I find myself wondering if we like sharing it because it's big sad news or because we really care that much about this unknown person.    

And I find myself asking questions. 

• Do the hundreds and thousands of prayers get heard better than the solitary prayer?  
• Is this like shouting at God to make sure he hears us? 
• Does our collective begging somehow touch God's heart in a way the weeping mother alone in her room cannot?  And if so, what hope is there for the child whose parents don't splash their needs/wants/desires on social media? Many people do not have the platform that some of us take for granted. Does God not hear them as well as He does us?  (I'm fairly certain that God does not have a hearing problem)

These questions only led to more questions.  

• What about prayer times in our churches?  
• If God hears better when multitudes pray then shouldn't our every want and need be plastered on the church bulletins? And shouldn't our prayer times be free from long awkward silences?
• Why is it that so often prayers tend to run down the line of Aunt Sally's neighbor has a cousin whose wife has liver problems? Where does that fit in?  
• What about my deeply personal issues, is there no hope for me if I lack the courage to speak my heart before the masses? 
• Does everything need to be shared with the masses or is it ok to take and leave a few things at the foot of the cross of Christ Alone? 

Let's think about prayer in general for a bit

My recent questioning leads me back to another time and place with another discussion on prayer.  I don't remember all of the specifics from that conversation but my take away challenge was and continues to be, what if prayer is more about my relationship with God than it is about what God is going to do. 

Is it possible that I have started hoping that prayer could be used somewhat as a magic button to push when I want my circumstances changed?   What if changing circumstances is not God's answer?  What if my prayer or the prayer of the masses does not change what God is going to do about the circumstance?  Does that make God less God?

And what if corporate prayer is also more about relationships than it is about what God is going to do? 

As I was trying to articulate some not very well formulated questions on corporate prayer one response I got was, "But there's power in prayer!" 

Yes, my friends, yes - I am a believer in the power of prayer but I am wondering, does some of that power have more to do with my heart than with changing circumstances?  

Please notice I'm asking questions not making statements. 

What if the power of prayer is connected to that relationship with God, and through that relationship He changes my heart?  Trust me, changing my heart takes a lot more power than I have access to on my own.  

Back to some thoughts on corporate prayer

Prayer is talking to God.  

We talk to people we have a relationship with.  

I pray because I have a relationship with God.  Lots of good sense in that!  

Jesus often withdrew from the crowd to pray (Luke 5:16). He taught us to go to our room and pray in secret (Matt. 6:5-6).  He told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18: 9-14).  

But where does that leave corporate prayer?

Jesus also asked His disciples to pray with Him (Matt. 26:39-41)
There are many examples of the fervent prayer of the believers in the early church as well. 

I pray because I have a relationship with God.  You, as a believer also have a relationship with God.  Therefore we both talk to God.  It only makes good sense that we talk to God together. 

Because I have a relationship with you, I care about the things that you care about thus I will pray for you. This is one way of caring and lightening your burden (Galatians 6:2).  

We have an amazing God and we both know it so we will worship together  (Heb. 13:15). 

Confession and prayer should be a part of our lives so that our souls can find healing (James 5:16). Confession is not a solitary activity.  

James talks about doubt and wavering (James 1:6) and praying together strengthens us and builds our faith.  Together we can stand unwavering. 

And I'll be honest, I still don't know what I think about our prayers changing God's mind.  He knows what He is going to do so does it make a difference in the circumstances if a bunch of people pray, I'm not really sure.  I do know it does make a difference to my heart, which makes a difference in my response to the circumstances. It does give me courage to know you are praying for me, and moves me from my self centered focus when I can pray and care for you. I think it’s a win win situation.
We do also have the example of Abraham pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18).  Did God change His mind?

I do know that God knows what's best and I do know that He loves us (Matt. 7:9-11) and that we can trust Him with the final decision.  I wonder, in our relationship & prayers are we simply agreeing with God and His will for our lives? 

Here is a quote that I found and thought interesting.   "Corporate prayer isn’t about getting enough people together to pray until God bends His will to our will. Instead, prayer (corporate and private) is about cooperating with God and abandoning our desires and submitting to God’s will." 

And again I say, this is just a collection of random thoughts and questions.  This is not a comprehensive study on the subject. 

Quote from: 

https://www.allaboutprayer.org/corporate-prayer.htm